Thursday, 28 August 2014

To University Or Not To University, That Is The Question

It's only been in the last few generations that more and more people are deciding to go to university; before that it wasn't on many people's agendas and seen as a posh man's game. However with the opening of more higher education facilities and the ability for people to get loans, it's become a helluva lot more accessible.

I've always wanted to go to university, but what I've wanted to study has changed drastically over the years. I went from architect (too much maths needed there) to interior designer (got a bit bored of that one) to art therapy (too much science required) to textile design, which is what I want to do now (I think I'll stick to this one lol). Instead of A-levels, I decided to go to college to study art & design and have completed my first year; it took a lot of courage for me to make the change to college but I'm so so happy I did!
It only just occurred to me recently that it wasn't vital to go to university to do what I wanted to do. A lot of arts based careers don't look at qualifications but at your portfolio; this is a collection of your work that you take to interviews and the like. As long as I built up a good portfolio and worked hard to develop my skills, there isn't really any need for me to go to university.
That being said, I still want to go. I just love the idea of moving away, fending for myself in the big bad world. I made an agreement with myself (secret handshake and everything) that if I get into my top 3 choices then I would obviously go, but if I didn't, I would have a gap year working in my chosen industry to build experience. Then when the time came again, I could decide if I really needed to go to uni.
It's your choice and I think some people forget that with career counsellors telling people that they'll never get anywhere if they don't go to uni, which is absurd and puts pressure on you to apply. At the end of the day, you're going to have £50,00 worth of debt so you better get it for something that's going to be useful.
I'll now open the floor for discussion; in the comments would be best or if you have more complicated questions, send me an email!
See you soon and stay insane!